Services

Arran Brewery bids to take over Bladnoch Distillery near Wigtown

Arran Brewery have submitted a bid to purchase the assets of Bladnoch Distillery near Wigtown, which went into administration earlier this year.

It is thought that there was considerable interest in the distillery, which is being sold by

Administrator Ernst & Young.

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Arran Brewery previously had to abandon a bid to purchase the former site of Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk when Falkirk Council decided to classify the site as "Abandoned". This was despite getting the offer of a £500,000 grant from Scottish Heritage and a likely grant from the lottery commission.

Managing Director Gerald Michaluk said: "We were extremely disappointed at the council's decision in Falkirk to classify the site as abandoned even when their own report showed we passed four of the five tests of whether or not the site was Abandoned and our legal team made a strong argument for overturning their only reason for considering the site abandoned.

"However, our investor partners are willing to support us in the purchase of Bladnoch distillery . We will know in the next few weeks whether our bid is going to be taken any further."

Earlier this year, Arran Brewery sold 0.2% of the company for £160,000 valuing the company on paper at least at £80m, in the first round of a fund-raising exercise aimed at raising £4m. This combined with other

investments saw the company raise £260,000.

The brewery has recently purchased two sites :one at St Fillans, Loch Earn, a former hotel which is being refurbished as the Loch Earn Brewery, Hotel and Visitor Centre; the other in Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, a former school, is awaiting planning consent to be refurbished as Scotland's first Sake brewery, and Research and Development Centre and will house a bottling facility.

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